- Term
Pio Pico
- Alternate Term
Pico, Pio
- Occupation/Role
governor
- Nationality/Ethnicity
Californio
- Date
1801-1894
- Remarks
Pio de Jesus Pico was born at Mission San Gabriel in 1801. The son of soldier José María Pico, Pio Pico was of mixed African, American Indian, and European heritage. He moved to San Diego in 1819, where he kept a small shop. Pico served in the Mexican government of Alta California in the 1830s and 1840s. He became governor of California in 1845, but his term ended abruptly when the United States annexed California in 1846. Pico fled to Mexico during the war to avoid being captured by American troops and to petition the Mexican government for aid, but later returned to Los Angeles to reclaim his land and invest in more real estate. Pio Pico became a wealthy and influential businessman and private citizen, and served as an early member of the Los Angeles City Council. His 1852 mansion, "El Ranchito," became a gathering place for neighbors and business travelers. In 1870 he built the Pico House, Los Angeles' first 3-story building and the finest hotel in Southern California at that time. However, a combination of unpredictable weather, bad business luck, and fraud eliminated Pico's fortune. He lost the Pico House to foreclosure in 1880, and lost most of his landholdings in the 1890s. Pico died a poor man in 1894.
- See Also